Melt and infuse the butter. In a small saucepan, melt 13 tablespoons of butter along with 4 tablespoons of honey and the saffron threads over low heat. Once melted, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the batter. In a food processor, combine the vanilla bean seeds, eggs, sugar, and orange zest. Process until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.

Combine dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.

Add the cooled butter mixture. Pour the cooled honey-saffron butter into the food processor and process one last time until everything is just combined.

Chill the batter. Pour the batter into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). For metal madeleine pans, brush the molds with melted butter and dust them liberally with flour. Knock out any excess flour by inverting the pan and tapping it.

Fill and bake. Place a heaped tablespoon of the chilled batter into each madeleine mold, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the cakes have formed their characteristic dome and feel firm to the touch.

Glaze and finish. Gently remove the madeleines from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack. In a separate small saucepan or microwave, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of honey until runny. Brush the shell side of each madeleine with the melted honey.

Add pistachios. Roll the end of each madeleine in the crushed pistachios, letting them adhere to the honey glaze.

Serve. Transfer the finished madeleines to a platter and serve immediately, or within a few hours.